Prince William's World Cup absence explained: Who the Royal is trying to avoid?

Prince William is reportedly saving himself from an awkward encounter, as he continues to skip the 2026 World Cup games.

Despite being an avid football fan, the Prince of Wales has yet to make an appearance in the 2026 FIFA World Cup game in the US, where the UK has made it into the semifinals.

Prince William's absence from the World Cup raised alarms

Royal commentator Daniela Elser stressed that William's decision to not attend the matches, especially serving as President of the Football Association, has raised some questions.

The prince decision also comes as other royals around the globe, including Jordan's King Abdullah II, Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II and Princess Rajwa Al-Hussein, Spain's King Felipe VI, and King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, with their youngest daughter, Princess Ariane cheered on their national teams from the stands.

Real reason for Prince William's World Cup absence

A royal expert Dan Wakeford has claimed in his newsletter that Prince William's reason for staying away from the tournament is to avoid any possibility of meeting the US President Donald Trump.

A palace insider reportedly told Wakeford, "Trump loves the royals, and William and Kate especially, so there are concerns within royal circles that if William turns up in America right now, Trump will make a beeline for him. William's done more than enough Trump-time over the past year."

They continued, "He (William) doesn't want to be associated with Trump more than he needs to be," as the source shared that turning down a meeting in the US could be near-impossible.

Moreover, royal author Richard Fitzwilliams also shared the same stance while speaking to Celebrity Intelligence.

The author noted that besides children being priority for the Prince, one of the major reasons for not travelling to the US could be the unavoidable meeting with Trump.

Fitzwilliams told the publication, "If Prince William did visit the US, it would almost certainly involve meeting President Trump."

Prince William to attend the 2026 World Cup final?

While William missed a number of notable games, he could still make the US trip if England reached the final.

Speaking on Travis and Jason Kelce's New Heights podcast earlier this month, William shared that he would "definitely" travel to the US if England secures a position in the final of the World Cup.

The Three Lions are set to face Argentina in the semifinals, scheduled for Wednesday, July 15.